At least seven million people in Uganda will still be living in extreme poverty by 2030, according to a study by Brookings Institute.
The study contained in the Foresight Africa 2020 reveals that Uganda will not able to achieve the number one Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which seeks to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030.
The study highlights priorities for Africa in 2020 to 2030. Dr Brahima Coulibaly, the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution senior fellow and director, said by 2030, Africa will have 397.9 million people living in extreme poverty, out of which 7.6 million will be in Uganda.
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He said that by 2030, all Sub Saharan Africa countries, are expected to make some progress towards SDGs. However, by 2030, 18 countries out of 44 will get less than halfway to the absolute.
According to the study, as of 2015, sub-Saharan Africa had the highest concentration of the world’s poor, with people living under the poverty line at 41.3 per cent.
Millions of people die every year from preventable diseases and an estimated 600 million people do not have access to electricity.
Relentless climate change and population growth also present two major threats to continued economic progress.
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By 2030 Africa, he said, should provide time-bound targets in key sectors such as education, health, employment, infrastructure, energy and environment that must be achieved.
Dr Ezra Suruma, the Makerere University chancellor, said that Uganda had made significant strides in some areas despite there being some challenges.
“There are challenges in domesticating the SDG into national development plan and in closing the wide financing and data gaps,” he said
According to Dr Suruma, with a combined GDP of more than $3.4 trillion the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), it is expected to bring together a market potential of 1.2 billion people. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to be implemented on July 1, 2020.
He added that African countries, especially Uganda, must build internal capacities that will allow them to compete in such a large market.
